Capital One® Spark® Business Cards Review

Small business credit cards are usually the most profitable credit cards for issuers because:

(a) small business owners and entrepreneurs typically spend quite a bit more than the average consumer since they might be buying inventory, equipment, etc. for their company, thus generating more revenue
(b) the swipe fees charged to merchants (fees merchants must pay the card networks like Visa, MasterCard, Discover Card and American Express in order to accept their cards at the point of sale) are quite a bit higher than regular consumer credit cards

This is why you’ve seen so many commercials for the Chase Ink card during the past couple years. However if Capital One® has their way, they would love to steal that thunder with their latest lineup of Spark℠ business credit cards. Like the Ink, there are several versions available. But how do they stack up? (hint: they are definitely giving Chase a run for their money!)

1. Capital One® Spark® Classic for Business

As you can probably guess from the word “Classic” in the name, this is more of an entry level credit card in the Spark series. It’s geared towards those with average credit (all the others require excellent credit).

The annual fee is $0 and the rewards are an unlimited 1% cash back.

2. Capital One® Spark® Cash Select for Business

There’s 1.5% cash back on all purchases with a one-time $200 bonus once you spend $3,000 within 3 months of approval.

Capital One sites lists this as being for “excellent credit” specifically (versus card #1, which is geared towards those building credit). However you get a 0% intro APR on purchases for 9 months. There’s no annual fee.

3. Capital One® Spark® Miles Select for Business

This is similar to the Spark Cash Select, except you get miles rather than cash back.

The card gives 1.5 mile per dollar spent on purchases (awarded each billing cycle). The interest rates listed are the same as the Cash Select. In addition, you can get a one-time bonus of 20,000 miles after spending $3,000 within the first 3 months on purchases. There is also a 0% intro APR on purchases for 9 months.

The simplest way to look at these are…

These 5 Capital One Spark credit cards can really be reduced down to 3 basic categories, when comparing the value of their miles and cash back rewards:

That’s the most high-level and straightforward way to view the rewards on these five different Spark card offers. Although having so many options might seem a bit overwhelming at first glance, it really isn’t. It simply comes down to your

credit quality and rewards preference (and obviously you need to take into account the different interest rate options as well if you intend to carry a balance over time).

How about the benefits?

The Spark card benefits are quite good. Spark offers the following:

No foreign transaction fees – a nice perk if traveling or ordering goods from outside the US

Year end summary – extremely useful during tax time for you and your CPA.

How will they affect your personal and small business credit?

The Spark Classic is listed as for those who want to build credit, but does this mean it’s different than their other small business credit cards? Can you apply under your business tax ID without supplying your Social Security number? Using the convenient chat feature on the Capital One website, this is what I found out…

1. Personal guarantee is required
There is no way you can apply for any of the Spark cards without your SSN. The approval of the card is based on your personal credit history. As a result, both you (as the Authorizing Signatory) and your company will be bound to the terms of this agreement (meaning you’re jointly and severably liable for repaying any and all card balances).

2. Can help build business credit
Using any of the Spark cards responsibly can help in building stronger credit for both you and your business. This is actually a huge benefit you won’t find everywhere. For example, none of the American Express business cards report to the business credit bureaus. As a result, they are useless for building biz credit. Fortunately, all of the Spark cards will report, assuming you supply your company’s tax ID number on the application.

3. Sole proprietors can apply
If you don’t have a LLC or corporation, you can still apply. The EIN/TIN field is not required if you are applying as a sole proprietor.

Verdict?

Want the best rewards? Want to build credit for your company? Now you can have the best of both worlds. As a recap, here’s a quick review of the 5 signup promotions currently available:

Spark Cash Select – 1.5% cash back on purchases with a one-time sign-up bonus of $200 after you spend $3,000 on purchases within the first 3 months on purchases. No annual fee. 0% intro APR on all purchases for 9 months.

Spark Miles Select – 1.5 miles per dollar spent on purchases. An initial, one-time bonus of 20,000 miles after you spend $3,000 within the first 3 months on purchases. No annual fee. 0% intro APR on all purchases for 9 months.